Inspirational Quotes by E. O. Wilson (American Sociobiologist)

E. O. Wilson (1929–2021,) fully Edward Osborne Wilson, was an American zoologist, naturalist, and behavioral and evolutionary biologist. He was one of the leading authorities on the ecology, systematics, and evolution of the ant.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Wilson attended the University of Alabama and received a doctorate in biology at Harvard, where he has taught since 1955. He switched from ornithology to entomology because of a childhood eye injury and the onset of partial deafness in his teens. Early in his academic career, Wilson determined that ants communicate mainly through the transmission of chemical substances called pheromones.

Wilson is the foremost advocate of sociobiology, the study of the genetic basis of the social behavior of all animals, including humans. His Sociobiology: The New Synthesis (1975) proposed that the fundamental biological principles on which animal societies are founded also relate to humans. Wilson’s On Human Nature (1978; Pulitzer, 1979) discussed the application of sociobiology to human aggression, sexuality, and ethics. His The Ants (1990; Pulitzer) was a groundbreaking synopsis of contemporary knowledge of ants.

Wilson’s volumes on religious and philosophical topics include In Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge (1998.) His autobiography is Naturalist (1994.) His début novel, Anthill: A Novel (2010,) featured both human and insect characters. Letters to a Young Scientist (2013) is a volume of advice directed at promising science researchers.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by E. O. Wilson